GE Top-load HE Washer pauses indefinitely on Fill

[GKH]

My 1 1/2 year old washer will (intermittently) not cycle beyond fill without help.  Every few loads, I will come back to it, expecting the cycle to be done, only to find it has filled, stopped, and the Fill indicator light is steadily blinking. If I press Start/Pause at that point, the cycle will proceed and finish normally. This is happening more frequently and is not a problem listed in the owner's guide under Troubleshooting. Any suggestions?

Model WHRE5550K1WW

[JWWebster]

Are you using the correct amount of the HE type low suds detergent?

[GKH]

I use Tide HE and fill the cap to line 1 or 2 line depending on the size of the load.

[JWWebster]

HE: (2) Tablespoons Per Washload right?

[ryan111]

Make sure the water isn’t siphoning out. If the water level fails to reach a certain level within 40 minutes the control will turn the water valves off and go into a pause mode. If the water is siphoning out the water can run forever without filling the tub therefore this will happen.

Things that can cause a siphoning condition

1.   The drainpipe to your house may be too low and you either need to extend the pipe up above the top of the tub or run the drain hose from your washer up high.

2.   Someone may have taped the drain hose from the washer to the drainpipe to your house to stop the water from backing up. To fix this either clean out the drainpipe to your house and remove the tape or install a siphon break, part number 201112.  

3.   If the drain hose from your washer is pushed down the drainpipe too far, this will also cause the same problem. To fix it just pull it out to within about 6 inches of the end of the drainpipe.

If that isn’t the case…If you are using the precise fill mode try using the manual fill and if you are using the manual fill try using the precise fill mode. See if doing so makes a difference.

Also make sure you have the lid closed during fill.  


http://www.appliance-repair-it.com/GE-hydrowave.html

[GKH]

The drain from the washer does go into the drainpipe above the level of the tub.
We are the first owners of both the house (new construction) and the washer. For the past 17 months it has worked fine.
The hose WAS pushed about 8 inches into the drainpipe, so I backed it out a few inches.
Prior to this, the only non-tech advice I got was "these things are all computerized now, so unplug it and then plug it back in." So far no problems with the few loads I've done since. Time will tell!
Thanks for the reply.